Research, Mapping and Analysis Associate, Bangkok

General

Description of assignment title: Research, Mapping and Analysis Associate
Assignment country: Thailand
Duty stations: Bangkok
Work location: On UN premises
Expected start date: 12/15/2026
Duration: 6 months
Sustainable Development Goal: 4. Quality education
Host entity: UNESCO Thailand
Modality: Onsite
Type: International
Volunteer category: Associate UCoS from Apr2026
Work schedule: Full-time
Number of Assignments: 1

Details

Mission and objectives

UNESCO is the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. It seeks to build peace through international cooperation in education, sciences, and culture. UNESCO's programmes contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals defined in the 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015. UNESCO's Regional Office in Bangkok serves as the regional hub for Asia and the Pacific, supporting United Nations coordination and leading efforts toward the achievement of SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive, equitable, and quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. The Office implements UNESCO's six programme areas: education, natural sciences, ocean sciences, social and human sciences, culture, and communication and information across Afghanistan, Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. National-level activities are carried out through UNESCO National Offices in Phnom Penh, Ha Noi, and Kabul, as well as the Antenna Office in Yangon.

Within the Education Section, the Inclusive and Equitable Learning Team advances equitable access to education, with a particular focus on out-of-school children and youth, as well as adults with limited educational opportunities. UNESCO Bangkok also promotes learning cities and learning communities as a means of upholding education as a fundamental human right and fostering lifelong learning for all.

Context

The UNESCO Regional Office in Bangkok and Office for UN Coordination in Asia and the Pacific (UNESCO Bangkok) is exploring opportunities to strengthen understanding of local financing ecosystems and financing models that support sustainable local development, quality education, and the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This assignment will contribute to UNESCO's work on education financing, evidence generation, policy dialogue, and local development by mapping and analyzing financing mechanisms available to local governments and other local stakeholders in Thailand. Particular attention will be given to financing approaches that can enhance equitable access to quality education, lifelong learning opportunities, and the local implementation of SDG 4, while also contributing to broader sustainable development objectives.

The findings will inform UNESCO's programmes, partnerships, research, and advocacy efforts related to education financing, local governance, sustainable development, and financing for development. The resulting analysis will provide an evidence base for identifying opportunities, challenges, and innovative practices in local financing, including mechanisms that can strengthen education outcomes at the local level, particularly through UNESCO Learning Cities and Creative Cities initiatives.

Through this assignment, the UN Volunteer will support UNESCO's efforts to foster inclusive, resilient, and sustainable communities by promoting evidence-based policymaking, strengthening local capacities, and encouraging greater investment in education and local development.

Task description

Under the direct supervision of the Chief of Education Section, the UN Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Support a desk review of relevant literature, policy documents, reports, and databases related to local finance, education financing, and subnational financing in Thailand.
• Contribute to mapping of key financing models, mechanisms, and instruments used by local governments, including public finance, fiscal transfers, local revenue generation, borrowing mechanisms, public-private partnerships, philanthropy, and innovative financing approaches.
• Support in identification and compilation of relevant quantitative and qualitative data from publicly available sources.
• Assist in developing a structured inventory or database of financing mechanisms, including their characteristics, eligibility criteria, scale, and potential applications for local development and education initiatives.
• Support in assessing the extent to which identified financing mechanisms and local financing models can support education development priorities, including equitable access to quality education, lifelong learning opportunities, skills development, and local implementation of SDG 4.
• Contribute to analysis of trends, opportunities, gaps, and challenges in Thailand’s local financing landscape.
• Support in identification of examples of promising practices and innovative approaches that could support localized development, improved education outcomes, and SDG financing, including through UNESCO Learning Cities and Creative Cities initiatives.
• Contributing to preparation of a concise analytical report summarizing findings, key trends, and recommendations for further exploration.

The UN Volunteer will be expected to provide regular progress updates and participate in periodic meetings with the Education team.

Eligibility criteria

Age: 18 - 80
Required experience: 1 month
Donor priorities: -
Nationality: Candidate must be a national of a country other than the country of assignment.
Additional eligibility criteria: As this assignment is funded by CYVA, specific eligibility criteria apply. Candidates must be Chinese nationals affiliated with a university participating in CYVA’s programme.

Assignment requirements

Relevant experience: No experience required
Languages: English, Level: Fluent, Required
Required education level: Bachelor's degree in Language-related Fields or Financial Technology-related Fields

Competencies and values

• Accountability
• Adaptability and Flexibility
• Commitment and Motivation
• Communication
• Ethics and Values
• Integrity
• Knowledge Sharing
• Planning and Organizing
• Professionalism
• Respect for Diversity
• Technological Awareness
• Working in Teams

Skills and experience

Demonstrated interest and/or experience in:

• Public finance, local governance, fiscal decentralization, development financing, or education financing.
• Policy research, socio-economic analysis, and evidence generation related to sustainable development and SDG implementation.
• Collection, analysis, and interpretation of quantitative and qualitative data.
• Research on local development, public sector management, financing mechanisms, or financing for sustainable development.
• Conducting desk reviews, literature reviews, policy analysis, and preparation of analytical reports.
• Engagement with government agencies, development partners, academia, civil society organizations, foundations, private-sector stakeholders, or multicultural and volunteer environments.
• Previous experience as a volunteer and/or experience of another culture, (i.e. studies, volunteer work, internship) would be highly regarded.

Skills in:

• Literature review and policy analysis
• Research methodology and evidence synthesis.
• Data collection, validation, and management.
• Quantitative and qualitative analysis.
• Mapping and comparative assessment of financing mechanisms and policy instruments.
• Report writing and presentation of findings.

Area(s) of expertise: Education
Driving license: -

Other information

Volunteerism is understood as a wide range of activities undertaken of free will, for the general public good, for which monetary reward is not the principal motivating factor.

Living conditions and remarks

Thailand is located in Southeast Asia. The climate is tropical, with the monsoon season running from May/June through October/November. Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, and it is also the most populated city in the country. It is located in the Chao Phraya River delta in the central part of the country. Bangkok has an estimated population of 5.5 million as of 2022. Over the past decades, Bangkok has grown rapidly with little urban planning or regulation. This has led to traffic congestion and air pollution, and there is frequent flooding of streets during the rainy season in the City’s low-lying areas.

The cost of living in Thailand is relatively low, as compared to many other capitals in Southeast Asia. Housing is widely available in various sizes and at various price points. Many condos are wheelchair accessible. Private healthcare in Thailand is of excellent standard, and there are numerous top hospitals in Bangkok, which fall far below countries like the US in terms of price. There are numerous high-quality international schools available in Bangkok, with English as the language of instruction.

Security threat level for most of Thailand has been assessed as minimal or low.

Inclusivity statement

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme that welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, care protected characteristics. As part of their adherence to the values of UNV, all UN Volunteers commit themselves to combat any form of discrimination, and to promoting respect for human rights and individual dignity, without distinction of a person’s race, sex, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, pregnancy, age, language, social origin or other status.

Note on Covid-19 vaccination requirements

Selected candidates for certain occupational groups may be subject to inoculation (vaccination) requirements, including against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) in line with the applicable host entity policy

Scam warning

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